Back in November I (Katya) attended the Working Mums' conference in the Lowery hotel (http://www.workingmums.com/). There were a number of very useful seminars. One of the seminars I attended was about flexible woking. We all know how difficult it is to combine work with raising kids, relationship and our busy social life. Amanda Alexander, the founder of Coaching mums, gave us many useful tips about finding work-life balance. I want to share them with you.
My first post is about
12 Essential Tips for Finding a Decent Flexible Working Job for Working Mums
by Amanda Alexander www.coachingmums.com
2003-2011 © All Rights Reserved
1. Decide what you want and what’s right for you and your family. Sounds obvious but you’d be surprised! Get clear on exactly what YOU mean by flexible as there are a multitude of options. Cross check your wish list with your personal and professional values. E.g. if you have a value of connecting with people, then you won’t be happy working every single day from home.
2. Don’t fall into the trap of under-selling yourself and applying for jobs that are well below your skills, experience and salary range, just because they are advertised as “flexible”. Why? Because you’ll end up more stressed and unhappy than if you’d taken a full time, nonflexible job that you enjoy.
3. Understand what you can and can’t ask for and expect within the confines of the law. E.g. parents with children under 17 have the right to request flexible working, but they don’t have the right to flexible working per se. Check out at http://www.direct.gov.uk/ for the latest position on flexible working.
4. Doh! Remember to ASK! Workingmums.co.uk found that 47 per cent of mums don’t talk about flexible working with their bosses, despite 83 per cent wanting to return to work with more flexible hours.
5. Research the sort of employer you want to work for. Hint: Check out best places for women to work lists and awards in both the UK and US, as this will give you an indication of how forward thinking the company is with regards to flexible working. Also check out Working Mums Top Employers’ Awards. Look for enlightened employers and what their policies are towards remote and flexible working. Who would you work for if you believed you could get the job? Go for it!
6. Go for the Low Hanging Fruit. The best place to start your flexible job search is your existing company. Companies always look to fill posts from within first.
7. Think like your Boss. Create a business case for flexible working and outline any potential objections and how you will mitigate them. When you are creating your business case, imagine you are the CEO of your company – put yourself in his or her shoes and imagine what their concerns might be and what would reassure them? How could you make it an almost risk free decision for them to offer you flexible working?
8. Get with the lingo. Google terms such as “teleworking”, “digital nomad”, “Location Independent Parents”, “Workshifting” (you’ll find me as a blogger on http://www.workshifting.com/) etc. You’ll find there’s a whole brave new world out there under the broad heading of “flexible working”. By educating yourself, you’ll not only be better equipped in your search, you may also whet your appetite for a completely different career and get inspired as to the amazing realm of possibilities we have today.
9. Don’t apply. Shine! Once you’ve created your top twenty list of employers, create your application. Wow them – do something different. Send them evidence of your work, not just a CV. Write a covering letter that grabs their attention and gets them curious to know more about you. For example, if you are a Project Manager, you might want to send a file with a PDF copy of a Project Plan you have created. If you are a secretary, send them a “before” and after” document that you have proof read and edited. Think about how you can get the employer’s attention and demonstrate your ability right from your initial contact.
10. Be open-minded. As a mum, if you want to “have your cake and eat it”, you might need to try a different sort of cake than you are used to! Think outside of the box and put all those creative juices to the test when looking for a flexible job. Remember that we always have a choice; flexible working demands flexibility from both sides and comes at a cost. Decide where you are willing to compromise and what is “set in stone” for you before you embark upon your search.
11. If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em... set up on your own. With the incredible growth of online business, the opportunities to start your own home based or location independent business are endless! Drop me an email if you’d like some ideas. I have compiled a guide called “101 Home Based Businesses for Mums” and I’d be delighted to let you have a complimentary copy of it. You can email me at amanda@coachingmums.com and I’ll zip it back to you!
12. Go for it. If you find a job that is ideal in every way except that it doesn’t appear to offer the flexible working scenario you want, apply anyway. It’s a judgement call when you reveal that you are looking for flexible working, but my rule of thumb is to wow the employer first at interview and treat the question of flexible working just as you would salary negotiation. I believe that the more people do this, the more employers will realise that it is possible and even desirable to create more flexible work environments.
www.coachingmums.com
2003-2011 © All Rights Reserved
By Amanda Alexander PCC (ICF)www.coachingmums.com www.workingmumscafe.com
